Moving Forward Together!

Women Educating & Inspiring Generations

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Moving Forward Together Women's History Month Exhibit

Exhibition on View

New York State Capitol

Governor's Reception Room

Monday – Friday

7:00 a.m. - 7:00 p.m.

The 2025 national theme for Women’s History Month is “Moving Forward Together! Women Educating and Inspiring Generations.” This exhibition honors the contributions of New York women who have shaped local, regional, and national history and focuses on the transformative power of their groundbreaking leadership in classrooms and boardrooms, and from grassroots movements to global initiatives.

This exhibit spans more than 240 years of women on the frontlines fighting for equal access to education, professional opportunities, and healthcare. From founding some of the earliest schools and female colleges in the nation to holding roles once reserved for men, women in New York have championed education and used knowledge as a tool for liberation and transformative social progress.

Catherine Ferguson, c. 1779 - 1854

Catherine Ferguson established the first Sunday school in New York City. Born into slavery around 1779, Ferguson negotiated her freedom at sixteen and dedicated the remainder of her life to the betterment of society through education. Through her Sunday school, she offered reading and religious instruction for impoverished Black and white children. Ferguson’s teaching instructions included the memorization of hymns and Scripture. As a devoted mentor for over fifty years, Ferguson felt that all children should be safe, cared for, and educated.

(A sketch depicting Catherine Ferguson. Courtesy of the New York Historical Society and Bridgeman Art Library.)

Emma Willard, 1787-1870

In 1819, Emma Willard published “A Plan for Improving Female Education,” advocating for access to the same education as men beyond the restrictive “finishing school” lessons only available to women at that time. Her determination in championing women’s rights led to Willard gaining Governor Dewitt Clinton’s support to open New York’s first school for women in 1819 in Waterford; it was later relocated to Troy. In 1895, the Troy Female Seminary was renamed the Emma Willard School in her honor.

(Emma Willard, c. 1805-1815.)

Clemence Sophia Harned Lozier, M.D., 1813-1888

Clemence Sophia Harned Lozier was one of the first female physicians in the United States. At a time when New York State barred women from being hospital physicians, Lozier defied the system and founded the New York Medical College for Women in 1863. The college opened with seven female students and eventually included a hospital, becoming one of the first medical facilities where women could receive treatment from a doctor of their gender. Over the next twenty-five years, the college placed 200 female graduates in medical practice.

(Clemence Sophia Harned Lozier, M.D.)

Elizabeth Blackwell, 1821-1910

In 1849, Elizabeth Blackwell became the first female physician in the United States to graduate from an accredited medical college. Having been rejected from twenty-nine medical schools, Blackwell earned admittance to Geneva Medical College in Geneva, New York. Blackwell graduated first in her class. In 1857, she opened the New York Infirmary for Women and Children and later its medical college.
Throughout her life, she advocated for medical education for women, created positions for female physicians, trained Union nurses, and helped found the National Health Society in England.

(Elizabeth Blackwell, M.D. Courtesy of the National Library of Medicine.)

(View of Geneva Medical College. Courtesy of The Historical Collections of the Health Sciences Library, SUNY Upstate Medical University.)

View Geneva Medical College

Caroline Ga-ha-no Parker Mountpleasant, c. 1826-1892

Caroline Ga-ha-no Parker Mountpleasant was born into the Seneca Wolf Clan around 1826. With the support of her parents and 19th century ethnographer Lewis Henry Morgan, Mountpleasant was able to pursue a formal education. In the 1840s, she graduated with a teaching degree from the New York State Normal School (now the University of Albany). Upon graduation, she returned to her hometown of Tonawanda in Western New York and founded a school to provide local children with the same educational opportunities she received. During the implementation of the Indian Removal Act, she advocated for the survival of the Tonawanda community as a translator and political representative.

(Caroline Ga-ha-no Parker Mountpleasant. Daguerreotype most likely commissioned by ethnographer Lewis Henry Morgan around 1850. Courtesy of the Rochester Museum and Science Center.)

Sarah J. S. Tompkins Garnet, 1831-1911

In 1863, Sarah J. S. Tompkins Garnet became the first Black female principal of a New York City public school, but her advocacy went beyond the classroom. Garnet believed that education and suffrage were powerful tools in the battle for civil rights. In 1902, she founded a suffrage club for Black women, the Equal Suffrage League, and became head of the Suffrage Department for the National Association of Colored Women. Her legacy lives on at a Brooklyn elementary school re-dedicated in 2019 as the PS9 Sarah Smith Garnet School.

(Portrait of Mrs. Sarah J.S. Garnet. Courtesy of the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture, Manuscripts, Archives and Rare Books Division, New York Public Library.)

(Sarah Garnet with her family. Courtesy of the Myrtle Avenue Brooklyn Partnership.)

View Sarah J. Tompkins Garnet with her Family

Judith Heumann, 1947-2023

Judith “Judy” Heumann is regarded as the “mother” of the disability rights movement. Diagnosed with polio as an infant, she was not allowed to attend New York City schools. Decades later, after suing the Board of Education for discrimination, she became the first person using a wheelchair to teach in a New York State school. Heumann went on to become an influential teacher and gained national notoriety as an activist to be reckoned with, serving under President Clinton and President Obama as an advocate for increasing awareness of people with disabilities.

Jessie Redmon Fauset, 1882-1961

Jessie Redmon Fauset was an influential figure of the Harlem Renaissance. Her novels and essays centered on stories of middle-class Black Americans and aimed to eliminate prejudicial stereotypes. In 1912, she began contributing her writing to "The Crisis," the official journal of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP). After moving to New York City in 1919, Fauset became the journal’s literary editor, where she highlighted up-and-coming writers such as Langston Hughes and Claude McKay. Hughes credited Fauset for nurturing his and others’ “so-called New Negro literature into being.”

(Jessie Redmon Fauset. Courtesy of Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture, Photographs and Prints Division, The New York Public Library.)

Winifred Goldring, 1888-1971

Albany native Winifred Goldring was the first woman to serve as the State Paleontologist of New York–a first for any woman in the nation. Her award-winning contributions to the science of paleontology and enthusiasm for education influenced the exhibits she displayed at the New York State Museum during her 40-year tenure and led to two publications: "Handbook of Paleontology" and "Guide to the Geology of John Boyd Thacher Park."

(Winifred Goldring. Courtesy of the New York State Museum.)

Regina Anderson Andrews, 1901-1993

Regina Anderson Andrews began her career with the New York Public Library (NYPL) as a librarian at the 135th Street Branch in 1923 and hosted lectures and events with prominent thinkers and artists of the Harlem Renaissance. However, Andrews found it difficult to advance her career within the larger NYPL system. Finally, in 1938, she broke through the racial and institutional barriers and became the first Black Supervising Branch Librarian at the 115th Street branch.

(Regina Anderson Andrews. Courtesy of the Regina Andrews Photograph Collection, Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture, Photographs and Prints Division, New York Public Library.)

Augusta Braxton Baker, 1911-1998

In 1937, Augusta Braxton Baker began her career as a librarian at the New York Public Library’s 135th Street Branch. In 1953 she became the first Black woman to hold an administrative position at the New York Public Library when she was appointed Associate Coordinator for Children’s Services. Baker spent thirty years working in the New York library system, advocating for libraries to collect books with diverse characters and stories and encouraging writers to write positive stories around people of color.

(Augusta Braxton Baker. Courtesy of the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture, Photographs and Prints Division, New York Public Library.)

Lisa Taylor, 1933-1991

Lisa Taylor served as the Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum’s first female director from 1969 to 1987. In her position, Taylor raised millions to renovate the museum and create educational programs for children and adults. During her tenure, the museum presented over 175 exhibitions and developed a master’s program in Decorative Arts. Her trailblazing curatorial efforts propelled the idea that museums are accessible, inspiring, and playful educational spaces for all people.

(Lisa Taylor. Courtesy of the Smithsonian Institution Archives.)

MaryEllen Elia, b. 20th c.

Before she became New York State’s first female Education Commissioner in 2015, MaryEllen Elia’s passion for education began early, receiving a Master’s in Education from the University of Buffalo and working as a social studies teacher for sixteen years in Buffalo’s Sweet Home Central School District. Under her role as the former New York State Commissioner of Education and President of the University of the State of New York, she oversaw more than 700 school districts and 3.2 million students.

Randi Weingarten, b. 20th c.

Before she was elected President of the 1.8-million-member American Federation of Teachers (AFT) in 2008, Randi Weingarten taught history at Clara Barton High School in Brooklyn, worked as an attorney and taught law, and served as President of the United Federation of Teachers. Under her leadership, the AFT has led efforts to put educational reform on the national agenda.

Colleen Keough, b. 20th c.

Colleen Keough, a 2nd grade teacher in Schenectady’s Hamilton Elementary School was named the 2025 New York State Teacher of the Year by the New York State Education Department. Keough is a dedicated professional and a passionate educator inside and outside the classroom. Committed to the evolving nature of education, she actively seeks professional development opportunities to improve her work. When the school bell rings, Keough can be found working in the community, connecting families to resources, and establishing fundraisers for kids in need.

Dr. Jennifer Lemak, b. 20th c.

For nearly thirty years, Dr. Jennifer Lemak has worked to bring New York State’s exceptional history to the public. As the Chief Curator of History at the New York State Museum, Dr. Lemak’s exhibitions and publications on women’s suffrage, the Civil War, and the Great Migration have effectively shared the stories of underrepresented voices with thousands of people. Her work as a public historian and advocacy for the care and safety of the objects that tell these stories, ensures that the past remains accessible and inspirational for generations to come.

(Dr. Jennifer Lemak, PhD. Chief Curator of History, New York State Museum)

Legacy

Whether through teaching, writing, science, medical studies, or the arts, the women highlighted in this Women’s History Month exhibition demonstrate that knowledge is a powerful catalyst for change. Confronting a historically exclusionary system and the resilience to envision and implement a more inclusive one takes courage and belief in community. These women have shown the resilience it takes to create a more accessible world through mentorship and education.

Despite the accomplishments of these sixteen women, there is still more to be done. New York State remains committed to fostering the next generation of female leaders in education. In 2025, Governor Kathy Hochul aims to expand New York’s Latina Mentoring Initiative and to launch the Black Girls Mentoring Initiative.

Today, we recognize and honor the efforts of women from our past and present to move forward together. Alongside that acknowledgment, New York continues to be a leader in women’s rights. Because of the work of these champions, New Yorkers are better equipped to confront the challenges of equity, equality, and justice.